As war looms again, a pacifist pleads for an alternative

I used to style myself a pacifist. Or hoped I was one. Or something. But that was before I had children. The minute I clapped eyes on my first-born, I realised that any threat to him would see me transformed into a murderous monster, and I later felt the same about his two brothers. Nor does passion diminish with age: woe betide anybody who even attempts to harm my three grandsons.

Life, as we know, plays tricks, is deeply ironic, so formerly pacifist me has had to cope with the fact of a marine commando son, a member of the Greek Special Forces. I strive mightily to avoid thinking about his training and expertise, while being deeply thankful that so far he has not seen action, although in 1997 he spent six months in Bosnia. The worst was over by then, but he still could have lost his life or had it ruined in one way or another. He seldom talks about those months, but on his return he made a comment that has never left me: 'This is never going to be sorted out, Mum, because the whole set-up is tribal, and the Powers don't seem to understand that.'

But here we are on the warpath yet again: allied forces have taken to the skies in an attempt to destroy IS, the Islamic State, and there is increasing pressure to have, as the military is fond of saying, boots on the ground. Lord Richards, recently retired as Britain's Chief of the Defence Staff, is in favour of said boots, but also says 'you don't do wars unless you really have to.'

History, however, is full of wars that could have been avoided. World War One is a dreadful example of a great mistake that should never have been made, and many experts argue forcefully that it is not yet over: modern Iraq (more irony) was created as a result of the Ottoman defeat in 1917, created by Western powers who had little regard for tribal loyalties or traditional territories, and still less understanding of the prevailing mindset or emotional environment. Not a lot has changed.

Lord Richards says we cannot destroy IS, but he thinks we can defeat it. The question is: How? There is a knee-jerk reaction, it seems to me, in favour of violence and war, and they both beget more of the same. Henry Reynolds has recently written that Australians are obsessed with war, and yesterday I read that whereas British PM David Cameron at least debated the whole matter in Parliament, Tony Abbott did not, but committed eight Super-Hornets to the rather dubious cause: whatever Super Hornets are, precisely, and whatever the cause is. The arms merchants must be laughing all the way to their banks. Again.

When very young, I had to teach Robert Ardrey's book The Territorial Imperative, first published in 1966. Its message made a lot of sense to me then, and it still does. It is an investigation into the animal origins of property, the human tendency to be territorial, and the way in which, having secured territory, we then do our best to defend it. Ardrey sympathised with the Zionist cause, but strenuously made the point that without the pressure of the Arab League, Israel was almost sure to implode.

In all this worry about IS, few people in power seem to be heeding the advice of American Chelsea Manning. The former Bradley Manning was an all-source analyst of intelligence in Iraq, and is now serving 35 years in a U.S. military prison because of his whistle-blowing activities. In a recent article, Manning echoes and repeats Ardrey's message: the idea is not to react, not to be caught in a repetitive cycle of attack and response. Instead, Manning outlines various strategies that could result in IS becoming a failed state, one that is unpopular and unable to govern: it might thus fracture internally.

Manning suggests that the world needs to be disciplined enough to let the IS fire die out on its own. General bravery and the desire for peace are also necessary. Here's hoping: I think and pray for all the women who, like me, simply want their descendants to live and thrive. In peace.

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